Carrying means for golf bags



Dec. 12, 1950 c, ENDEE 2,533,440

CARRYING MEANS FOR GOLF BAGS Filed April 24, 1946 IN VEN+EIRI Patented Dec. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARRYING MEANS FOR GOLF BAGS Charles H. Endee, Canton, Mass.

Application April 24, 1946, Serial No. 664,663

2 Claims.

This invention relates to golf bags and particularly to a golf bag having carrying means for supporting the bag from the shoulder of the carrier so that the bag will remain in a desired upwardly inclined position while being carried with the full or partial complement of golf clubs.

It is common practice to support a golf bag with the clubs therein upon the shoulder of the carrier by a flexible strap one end of which is attached adjacent the top or open end of the bag and the other end of which is attached to the bag at a point below the mid-point of the bag. When such a golf bag is supported on the shoulder of the carrier in a desired inclined position with its open end at an elevation higher than its closed end, the bag is held in an unbalanced condition, with the center of gravity high and outside the bag, being centered in the heads of the golf clubs above the top of the bag, and outside the points of support thereof. Thus in walking the strap slips or slides upon the shoulder of the carrier so that the bag tends to assume a horizontal position or even a position in which the open end is lower than that of the closed end. If the strap slips so that the open end of the bag is lower than its closed end, the golf clubs will slide out of the bag. This tendency of the strap to slip on the carriers shoulder is a constant annoyance to golfers. who carry their own golf bags or to their caddies. Many attempts have been made to correct this tendency of the strap to slip upon the carriers shoulder, such as by adding weight to the bottom of the bag to lower the center of gravity of the bag or by changing the points of suspension of the strap and the like. All of these attempts either have been unsuccessful or unsatisfactory or have added objectionable features to the golf bag.

I have overcome these difiiculties successfully in a simple, inexpensive manner without adding other objectionable features. In accordance with my present invention, I provide means forming a loop adapted to engage the shoulder of the person carrying the golf bag. This loop is connected directly or indirectly to the bag at or near the edge of its open end and is adapted to support the open end of the bag at a predetermined elevation. I have found that if this loop is used as the sole means for supporting the bag, the bag is supported in a substantially vertical position which is not comfortable or convenient to the person carrying the bag. I have discovered further that when the bag is supported by such a loop, the closed end of the bag may be supported at a desired elevation without substantially changing the elevation of the open end of the bag. In this manner, the bag may be supported at any desired inclination with its closed end at a lower elevation than its open end. The closed end of the bag may be supported, for example, by a flexible strap attached at one end to the bag at a point remote from the open end of the bag, preferably, at a point below the mid-point of the bag, the other end of the flexible strap being supported from the carriers shoulder, as by attachment to the loop.

Before explaining in detail the present invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the invention claimed herein beyond the requirements of the prior art.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a golf bag embodying the invention, being supported upon the shoulder of the person carrying the bag, and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of a golf bag, partly in section, illustrating a modified form of the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings a golf bag embodying the invention may comprise a hollow elongated tubular receptacle I0 having a closed end l I and an open end l2 and adapted to receive and hold golf clubs l3. Both ends of a flexible strap M are secured to the receptacle ll] near its open end by rivets IE5 or other suitable means. The strap [4 provides a loop adapted to engage the shoulder of the person carrying the bag and support the bag from substantially its open end and with its open end at a desired elevation. A flexible strap it is secured at one end to the strap M in any suitable manner such as by rivets ll, preferably at a point adjacent the wearers shoulder, as shown in Fig 1. The other end portion of the strap I6 is preferably provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes !8 adapted to receive the tongue I9 of a buckle 20 which is secured to the receptacle H) as indicated at 2! at a point, preferably, closer to the closed end than the open end of the receptacle I0. If the strap I6 is released from the buckle 20, the closed end ll of the receptacle 10 will move downward and the receptacle will assume a substantially vertical position. It will be noted, therefore, that the strap it serves to support the closed end of the bag at a desired elevation which, preferably, is lower than that of the open end of the bag, and hence holds the bag at a predetermined angle of inclination. Consequently, there is no tendency for the bag to tip or rotate in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1 and permit the golf clubs 13 to slide out of the bag. The inclination of the bag is determined by the hole l8 of the strap l6 which is engaged by the tongue [9 of the buckle 20.

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 2 the strap H3 is an endless strap havin a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes 7:. any two of which may be engaged by the tongue 25 of a buckle 26 which is secured as indicated at 2'! near the open end l2 of the receptacle I. One end of a strap i is secured to the strap [4 in any suitable manner such as by rivets ll, preferably at a point adjacent the wearers shoulder, as shown in Fig. 2. The other end portion of the strap i8 is provided with a plurality of holes I8 which may be engaged by the tongue [9' of a buckle 20' secured to the receptacle I0, as indicated at 24', at a point remote from the open end of the receptacle and, preferably, nearer its closed end. In this construction the endless strap I l provides a loop adapted to engage the shoulders of a person carrying the receptacle l0 and support the receptacle with its open end at a desired elevation. The length of the strap l4 may be adjusted by engagement of the tongue 25 of the buckle 26 with any desired two holes h. It will be apparent that the loop forming strap is! and the strap it" of this modified construction serve the same function and purposes as the loop forming strap l4 and the strap [6 respectively in the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Thus, it will be seen that I have solved a bafliing and amioying problem in a simple, inexpensive, but satisfactory manner by providing carrying means for supporting a golf bag from the shoulder of the carrier which will maintain the bag at a desired comfortable inclination without annoyance to the carrier.

I claim:

1. Carrying means for a golf bag of the type comprising an elongated hollow receptacle having its bottom end closed and its top end open and adapted to receive and hold golf clubs therein, including a flexible strap having ends to be connected to the top of the golf bag and formin a closed loop adapted to pass around the shoulder of the person carrying said golf bag, whereby said bag is held supported from the shoulder, and a second strap connected to said first strap at its shoulder engaging portion, and to be connected to the golf bag adjacent its mid-portion, whereby said golf bag is held tilted at a predetermined angle of inclination.

2. In a golf bag comprising an elongated hollow receptacle havin its bottom end closed and its top end open and adapted to receive and hold golf clubs therein, shoulder supporting means therefor, including a flexible strap having ends connected to the top of the golf bag and forming a closed loop adapted to pass around the shoulder of the person carrying said golf bag, whereby said bag is held supported from the shoulder, and a second strap connected to said first strap at its shoulder engaging portion and to the golf bag adjacent its mid-portion, whereby said golf bag is held tilted at a predetermined angle of inclination.

CHARLES H. ENDEE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,607,275 Hettrick Nov. 16, 1926 1,890,362 Bellow Dec. 6, 1932 2,006,920 Hotze July 2, 1935 2,282,842 Abell May 12. 1942 2,422,218 Bauer a- June 17, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 527,306 Great Britain Oct. 7, 1940 

